Month: December 2015

Firewood is an important source of heat for many people- and you can help neighbors in need by donating extra firewood to a local wood bank. Donating extra firewood to a wood bank is a lot better then just giving it away on the roadside. The use of firewood given to a woodbank is almost always restricted to residents of the immediate town or city, as opposed to firewood just left to take at the roadside (which might be moved hundreds of miles by the end of a single day). Keeping firewood local is the best way to prevent the movement of forest pests.

Wood banks are usually run by a group like a church, senior center, community center, power company, or local tree service. Often they are in direct cooperation with state forestry agencies, ensuring that the wood is being sourced and given away with proper respect to pest quarantine boundaries. Wood banks typically provide firewood to residents experiencing financial difficulties, such as families in need or low income senior citizens. To find out if your city, town, or county has a wood bank, search on the internet for “wood bank firewood” and then the name of your municipality and state, such as “wood bank firewood springfield missouri.” Not all areas have a wood bank, so if you try a few combinations of searchs and nothing comes up, there may not be a wood bank in your region.

With the coldest part of winter coming soon, consider donating any extra firewood you have on your property to your community wood bank. You will be helping your community, and by keeping your firewood use local you will also be helping trees!